HOUSTON, Texas - January 4, 2011 - A local family was terrorized, ambushed outside their own home and held at gunpoint. They had just pulled into their driveway on Glenfield near Durango Falls in northwest Harris County Monday night when the suspects threatened the family, and the husband fought back.
Elvis Munoz, 17, is charged with aggravated robbery. A juvenile suspect is also facing charges and authorities are interviewing a third suspect. Officials say a quick-thinking homeowner showed the suspects they picked the wrong victim.
Homeowner Efrehem Del Rosario said, "I was just shocked that this happened."
The memory of what happened to Del Rosario Monday night kept him awake all night long. He and his wife were with their young boys, ages seven and one, headed home from the Apple store at Willowbrook Mall when he noticed a red Mustang had followed him right to his driveway.
"He was going after me with a mask," recalled Del Rosario.
When he got out of the car, Del Rosario says a man had a gun pointed straight at him and was joined by at least two accomplices.
He said, "I ran away... to get away from them, to draw the fire to me if they were going to shoot. Then I started shooting at them."
Del Rosario is a concealed handgun permit holder, and says having his gun and the training to use it properly saved his family. He said, "I'm glad I did. You should, too."
Del Rosario's hand is banged up from a fall during the chaos, but he was able to stop the gunman. A neighbor, also a gun owner, helped him detain a second suspect until deputies arrived.
The neighbors say crime happens everywhere, even in this upscale Cypress neighborhood, and they encourage other people to protect themselves the way they did.
Del Rosario said, "Anyone who has any (children) or family, just be careful. They're out there."
Investigators say this is not a unique incident. They believe it may be tied to four other recent cases in the area of families being followed home from the mall and robbed.
